Backroad Kentucky, Southern Hospitality & the "Niagara of the South"

Continuing on our road trip series, Dadtography visits Cumberland Falls, Kentucky on this adventure. The falls – known as the “Niagara of the South”, is located just outside of Corbin, in south-east Kentucky and is inside the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Driving Rural Kentucky

Our visit to Cumberland Falls was part of our road trip to the Indy 500. In just 5 short days, we were able to see parts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana along the way.

One of our goals with this trip was to visit a few “off the beaten path” locations. Sure, we visited downtown Atlanta and went to a Braves MLB game, but we also spent time on trails, paths and a few dirt roads as well.

One of my favorite parts of this trip was driving the winding, rural mountain roads of Kentucky. We don’t have many hills in Florida, so a change of elevation was just what we needed. I found the landscape and the people of rural Kentucky to be extremely hospitable and rather pleasant and I can’t wait to explore more of the state.

Driving rural Kentucky proved that 'back roads' shouldn't be considered an insult. @KentuckyTourism Click To Tweet

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is the area surrounding the actual waterfall, and includes the facilities next to the falls and a number of trails, DuPont Lodge and Riverview Restaurant. We only saw the visitor center area and the falls on this trip, but the Lodge and restaurant are definitely on our list for an upcoming trip!

I think state and national parks are catching on with travelers as an economic way to view different parts of the country in their unfettered state. For those of us that live in metro areas, being able to get outside, stretch our legs and see something other than pavement can be a great way to recharge. I totally found that to be the case during my visit to Cumberland Falls!

Cumberland Falls - come for the views, stay for lunch (or the night)! @kystateparks Click To Tweet

Cumberland Falls, KY Video

Don’t forget to crank up the resolution to HD+. And get your fishing poles ready…

Tips for your visit to Cumberland Falls

Dadtography thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Cumberland Falls, and wanted to pass along a few tips to get the most out of your visit.

Tip #1 – A Day Trip, or Just a Few Hours

One of the best parts I enjoyed about Cumberland Falls was that you can either easily make a day of your visit to the park, or you can visit for a few hours, see the sights and move on to your next location. We spent 3 or 4 hours hiking the paths, snapping photos of the river and the falls, but with a little planning, you can easily spend the full day in the area.

Tip #2 – Challenging for Wheelchair or Older Visitors

State and national parks are often very accommodating for visitors with special needs, and that’s still the case at Cumberland Falls. However, there are quite a few areas that just aren’t accessible without walking – hiking, rather. We did our fair share of steps that day, from the top where the visitor’s center (and falls) are located, down to the base of the falls. We hiked down and all around the area and this just wouldn’t have been possible for some travelers.

Tip #3 – Try a visit in the Fall

Dadtography visited the falls in the Summer, which was a great time of year for sure. The day we were there was somewhat overcast, but we were still able to take quite a few awesome photos, as you can see below. Visiting Cumberland Falls in November would be ideal, as a chill would be in the air and you’d be more likely to see color in the trees as the leaves change. I’d definitely like my next photo-focused visit to the park to be during the Fall months.

#RoadTrip to Cumberland Falls next autumn. Who's in? @kystateparks Click To Tweet